_INSPECTION - C1996083 (36) - Laserfiche WebLink

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III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. There was some ice-covered water in pond B,just above the primary discharge pipe level. The pond's gated valve was closed and the float was not attached to the primary pipe. The outflow of the pond B primary discharge pipe was channeled into a pipe that was buried in the west section of the Deer Trail Ditch. The pond's emergency spillway had sufficient capacity and the pond embankment was stable. The wash plant was not in operation at the time of the inspection. The wash plant bench was wet but only a couple of areas were muddy. The small slide in the cut slope has not enlarged since its inception several years ago. The sediment control system was in place in the areas around the wash plant, engineering building and substation. Coal Waste (Gob) Stockpile The gob pile haul road was muddy but passable. The road sections near the wash plant and the east side of pond D were very muddy. The operator had to pull a grader out of the ditch near pond D. Some gravel had been spread out on the road in this area. The haul road berm and ditches were functioning properly and straw bales were in the road ditch near ponds C and D, as required. The material storage areas along the haul road were in order. The ice-covered water level in pond C was just above the level of the primary discharge pipe. The gated valve on the pipe was closed so there was no pond discharge. Pond D did not have any standing water in it. Pond F had a little ice-covered water in it. The pump for the primary discharge was in position and the emergency spillway had sufficient capacity. The gob pile topsoil stockpiles had good vegetative cover and the topsoil signs were up. The gob pile was wet but had positive drainage. Water was draining into collection ditches which were bringing the runoff into pond F. The upland diversion ditches were functioning properly as well. On the east side of the gob pile, the operator had placed a number of small piles of coal fines from the wash plant. Rather than place them in the gob pile, the operator has decided to ship out the wash plant coal fines with the coal. Proper compaction of the gob was being hampered by the presence of the wash plant coal fines. Grading and compaction operations were in place on the west side of the gob pile. The gob pile outslopes were stable, with no evidence of instability or erosional gullying. The coverfill stockpile to the east of the gob pile was also stable. Surface disturbance markers were up. Hubbard Creek Vent Shaft Construction Site The Hubbard Creek road, which is a county road, was wet but passable. No problems were observed at the temporary rock storage site that is at the intersection of the Hubbard Creek road and the Freeman Gulch road. Silt fence was in place around the rock pile, which came from the shaft site project. At the Hubbard Creek vent shaft construction site, the operator is finishing up the pad construction and may start shaft construction in January. The silt fence was up around the site. The upland diversion channel, a portion of which is riprapped, is in place. The plan for topsoil storage has been changed. Instead of storing the topsoil on the cut slope of the pad, the topsoil has been moved to the unit train loadout topsoil stockpile. The contractor is constructing the rock catchment berm in front of the pad cut slope. Because of the designed one percent slope of the pad, the pad area was very muddy. Surface disturbance markers were up around the disturbed area and the mine ID signs and stream buffer zone signs were up along the Hubbard Creek road. 2